READING LESSON: Reading and Watching Hawks

TS Today, for several reasons, we had only a short time for silent reading in the 8th grade – actually about 2 minutes – but, looking back, I think I used the time well. SD One of the important things I have learned, and continue to learn, about reading is that reading slowly and carefully can be a rewarding exercise. CM Once I abandoned my focus, several years ago, on rushing through books and began to slow down and enjoy the words and thoughts in the book, I found a new way of reading opening up to me. CM I began to enjoy the “journey” as much as the “destination”. CM I found myself lingering over passages, even single sentences, rereading them several times in order to extract as much of the meaning and beauty as possible. SD This approach to reading means, of course, that even reading for only two minutes can be pleasing and satisfying. CM If the goal is not to “read as much possible” but to “read as well as possible”, then two minutes of reading can be as rewarding as watching a hawk soaring for two minutes. CM Surely we wouldn’t say that that was a waste of time. CM Even two minutes in the presence of a glorious creature like a hawk can be inspiring – and I think the same can be said of a book. SD Today, for just a few minutes, I read a page or two of a novel by Thomas Hardy, and I was enthralled by the beauty of the language. CM I felt relaxed and unhurried as I read the words slowly and carefully. CM Because I was not rushing, I was able to take away a surprising amount of treasure from those few pages. CS Later, I recalled a time when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a hawk sailing above a field. It was a splendid and unforgettable few moments for me, but no more so than the two minutes I spent reading silently with my students today.